Emiliano Magana

Part one: The 98th Academy Awards predictions – The dark horses, the snubbed nominees and the winners

With the Academy Awards taking place on March 15, 2026, the acting categories seem to be close to shaping the way for a winner after a competitive award season, in which the Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress had different winners at the Golden Globes, British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards. However, for Best Actress, Jessie Buckley seems to have secured herself her maiden Oscar win after a major sweep in the award season. The unsettled Oscar races have raised questions such as: Will Timothée Chalamet finally get his long-desired Oscar? Will Amy Madigan bring the golden statuette back to the horror genre? Will Sean Penn win his third Oscar? With that being said, I present who I believe are the dark horses, the snubbed nominations and the winners at this Oscars edition.